Gajah Biru Bungalows Hotel

The only pleasant thing about this guest house was the location. We paid 1200 euros for the month, but this was the worst guest house experience I've had, in both the facilities and the staff. We left in the end, and no one helped us with our things when we departed. We rented the Jasmine Villa with a private pool for a month. On paper it looked idyllic, but arriving was a descent into hell. Everything was run down and filthy: dirty dishes, stained walls, awful bathrooms, and a powerful mold smell throughout the rooms. One whole piece of furniture was moldy, and the wood was falling onto the floor. My daughter woke covered in spots after our first difficult night. Her downstairs room smelled worst. When I removed the sheets, the mattress and pillows were full of mold. I called the manager and said this was putting guests' lives at risk, especially asthmatics and vulnerable people. The staff took 15 days to change the mattresses, and didn't want to buy new ones. While other people were out visiting, we swapped our mattresses with theirs to get ones that were less moldy, but there was still mold. My daughter slept on the upstairs bedroom floor with us for 15 days. We asked for a refund and were refused. I was nine months pregnant and spent four days stripping and cleaning the entire apartment, after buying 7m² of cleaning products at a local supermarket. The pool leaked, had missing tiles, and a sharp floor. Its filtration system broke after day 16, leaving the water dirty and green for four days, and nobody came to fix it. There were no amenities for a child, and the old condition of everything made it dangerous. The bathtub couldn't be used because there were no plugs. We were promised cleaning twice a week, but it happened only once and was very poor. Getting to the apartment from the entrance meant a good five-minute walk to the bottom of the house. At the guest house, staff had promised to help with groceries or refilling our 20L water gallons. They stopped helping after I said it was unacceptable to leave guests in so much mold, so I had to carry the bags and water alone, which was really hard. Staff crossed our property several times an hour at all hours to reach a door at the back of the guest house, leaving it open every time. That gave us no privacy and let my dog escape into the city alone. My daughter developed a chronic cough after day 18, which I attributed to the humidity. I bought a hygrometer. No matter what I tried in her room, nothing worked: 12 dehumidifiers, fans, and the air conditioning in dehumidifier mode. We gave up and left.

I'd never been to Bali before, and I'll never forget this spa visit. After trying the spa while staying at another villa in the same area, I returned to our villa in tears. I felt like crying during the facial, and my husband was really worried. I couldn't explain how bad it was. I didn't say anything to the woman because I didn't want to make her feel bad or be rude. I don't know why I didn't stop the treatment. Once back at the villa, I showered and cried. The room was dirty, and the pillow and towel smelled. She didn't wash her hands, played on her phone during the facial, and I could smell her hands and breath. She didn't change the water while rinsing my face. It was very hot, with only two fans, and there didn't seem to be proper training or sanitation. Now I always remember that you get what you pay for. Don't go here for a spa.

There are cafes, shops, transport, food, and basic markets close by, and the hotel is near the main road. The spa is an added service with reasonable prices. The surroundings feel close to nature, and the rooms are spacious in a quiet setting. It's a very photo-friendly location. I had a lovely stay on my Bali vacation, and found it good value for money.

The staff tried to help and apologized, but I wouldn't recommend this resort. I paid for four nights and couldn't get a refund, so I had to stay. Its location is good, but the stay was sadly the worst resort experience I've had. The sheets were dirty, there was mold in the shower, and the room smelled musty with poor air circulation. The air conditioner kept switching off even though there was no timer setting. Each day I also encountered cockroaches, lizards, and toads in the bathroom. I hope the resort considers renovating to make the environment more comfortable for guests.